There is no question in most people's minds that George Amedore defeated Ed Kosiur in the special election for the 105th district. Except maybe in one person's mind—that of Ed Kosiur himself.

Voters choose candidates and that often means that one or more candidates must lose a race. Parties and their activists have every right to be out there before the election, actively advocating for their candidates and the ideas that they espouse. What they should not be is sore losers.

Ed Kosiur with the help of many activists and the Democratic Assembly Campaign Committee (DACC) put an incredible amount of time and money into this race. It was tough to lose after investing much into a man who reflected many of our hopes and dreams. Yet, we should not forget all the time that supporters of George Amedore put into the district, including all the work by the Republican Assembly Campaign Committee (RACC) and many other activists.

Ultimately it was the Republican ideas that won. Voters felt that George Amedore was the better candidate for the district. Voters wanted lower taxes and they wanted more economic development. They wanted new blood and decided that the previous leadership of Paul Tonko, through his hand picked candidate, was not the direction they wanted to continue in.

Ed Kosiur's choice not to concede and congratulate George Amedore reflects a serious lapse of judgment on his part. He ought to think twice about his promise for a rematch, and consider other pursuits in his life. There is no question that he was a good man and would have been a good Assemblyman, but it's time to have somebody else to running for Amedore's seat in 2008.